Time to Permeate
by Gater101
Summary: OneShot. He only hoped Atlantis would give him that time.


Title: Time to Permeate  
Summary: He just needed time to let it sink in.  
Characters: Lorne, Carson & Baby  
Rating: K  
Notes: For Linda06's birthday. I hope you like.

Lorne looked up when he heard the familiar Scottish accent permeate the silence around him. He smiled at the Scottish doctor as he made his way across the empty balcony and sat on the seat opposite Lorne's, the mug in his hand steaming.

They shared a tired smile before the bundle in Lorne's arms wriggled and he looked back down to Torren John and sighed.

"I see you're on jiggle duty tonight?"

Lorne looked up and nodded slightly, jiggling the child in his arms again and smiled. He was tired, very tired but this was a duty he could not neglect. Teyla was off world with her team on an unexpected mission to some planet where they thought Rodney and Sheppard were Gods and so she'd come to him, sheepish and thankful, offering her little bundle of joy in exchange.

His sister would be so jealous if she ever found out.

"I see you're back from Earth," he replied and smiled lightly at Carson. Carson nodded and Lorne noted he looked much better than he had the last time he'd seen him; granted, the man was dying of cellular failure so anything was a bonus. "How was it?"

Carson looked down to the contents in his mug and shook his head, his knuckles tightening around the black ceramic. Lorne almost wished he hadn't asked.

"It was okay, I suppose," he said tightly as his eyes drifted over the edge of the building, looking at something Lorne was sure he would not see.

Lorne smiled meekly, shifting Torren in his arms again when he grumbled, shushing him with a quiet lullaby his mother had sang to him as an infant.

"Did they...?" Lorne began but trailed off when Carson did not turn to him, his eyes fixed on a point in the horizon. He looked away, allowing the Scot to have his moment.

"The hospital was fine," he said absently, eventually and Lorne looked back up to him, blinking away the sleep from his eyes. It was difficult, as the late night passed into early mornings, to keep his eyes open. "The IOA 'interview' wasn't so fine." Lorne winced but Carson didn't notice. "Which is fine I suppose, considering everything that's happened." Lorne didn't know what to say, so he said nothing and turned back to the settling Torren John. "I'm surprised they let me come back," Carson murmured as he reached out absently and stroked Torren's stomach with his index finger.

Lorne couldn't image what the Scot must be going through. He was pretty sure that if it had happened to him, he'd have more issues with it than Carson seemed to have. It was strange to see the doc so settled about it, considering how freaked out he got about sitting in a chair. He sighed, knowing that only time could heal, or break open Carson's wounds.

"I'm not," Lorne murmured quietly, a small smile tugging at his lips. He held Carson's eye for a long moment before the Scot turned away, his features less heavy than they had been moments before. "You'd be wasted on Earth."

Carson laughed lightly and turned back to Lorne and Torren, withdrawing his hand which had become dormant on the infants body.

"I suppose they wouldn't want to keep me cooped up in that mountain for the rest of my life." Lorne frowned but Carson waved him away. "I'm all right lad, just tired – it's been a long few weeks." Lorne nodded and tried to contain his yawn. "I can see you agree," Carson said lightly, his voice echoing as he sipped from his cup. "Anything interesting happen while I was away?"

Lorne smiled but shook his head.

"Nothing really." He jiggled Torren a little, though his arms were becoming heavy with tiredness. "It's been surprisingly quiet." They both smiled knowingly at one another, eyebrows raised. "It won't last long," he said through another yawn. He shook his head to fight off the tiredness. "It never does."

"It does not," Carson agreed with a slight shake of his head. "How's Woolsey? I've been hearing conflicting reports on him," Carson said and Evan matched his wry smile. "That good, eh?"

Lorne laughed slightly.

"He's not that bad, actually." He shifted again and something in his back popped. "He's a sucker for the rule book but... he's fair." Lorne laughed slightly in the back of his throat and Carson raised an interested eyebrow. "He got stuck in the briefing room because he didn't know how to open the doors."

Carson snorted a laugh at that and coughed as some of the liquid he'd been drinking was inhaled into his lungs.

"Now that I would have paid to see."

Lorne nodded.

"It wasn't until Chuck noticed he hadn't come out of the briefing room for nearly three hours he went to check on him."

Carson gaped.

"_Three _hours?" Lorne nodded, smiling smugly. "Why didn't he call for help?"

Lorne raised an eyebrow in response.

"Would you?"

Carson thought about it.

"No," he said with a shake of his head. "Probably not." Lorne yawned again and rolled his neck, trying to ease the rising tension in the muscles there. "I'll take over if you want to get some sleep, 

son," Carson said suddenly and Lorne snapped his eyes open, not realising they'd slid shut in the first place. Carson smiled. "Hand him over," he said as he gestured and Lorne smiled thankfully.

"You sure you don't mind?"

Carson shook his head.

"I'll not get to sleep for a while yet; I'm still on Earth time."

Lorne grinned and stood, shushing Torren as he snuffled in his slumber. He looked down to Carson as he smiled up at him, readying his arms.

"Thanks, doc," he said quietly as he rested Torren in the Scots arms. "Teyla'll be back soon, I think," he said as he withdrew slightly.

"That's all right."

Lorne watched as Carson's eyes drifted down to the slumbering child and Lorne smiled.

"You're a natural, Carson," he told him lightly and smiled when the Scot looked up at him dazed.

"I always wanted one or two of these."

"Don't we all," Lorne replied as he turned away.

"Aye," Carson said quietly and Lorne glanced him over his shoulder, smiling gently as he watched Carson stroke the soft hair on Torren's head, a light song escaping past his lips, the deep timbre of his voice almost sending Lorne to sleep where he stood.

He knew the doc would be okay; he just needed time.

And as Lorne slid down into the sheets of his bed, he only hoped Atlantis would give him it.


End file.
